Improvement in music-leaf turners



A. ROSEN FIELD Music-Leaf Turner.

510,137,797, PatentedApriH5,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY ROSENFIELD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY POLLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSIC-LEAF TURNERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,797, dated April 15, 1873; application filed August 17, 1872.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY ROSENFIELD, of San Francisco, in the county of San Fran cisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Device for Turning the Leaves of Books and Music; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to a new and useful device for turning the leaves of sheet or book music; and consists, mainly, of a frame for holding the mechanism, which is attached to the music-rack or piano in a permanent manner.

A series of slotted and grooved disks are placed between two uprights of the frame, where they are held by a pin, upon which they turn. From the disks extend jointed arms with finger attachments, between which the leaves to be turned are placed. An elastic cord or spring is attached to each of the disks, with their opposite ends connected to the frame-plate to give spring to the holder when the said disks and fingers are in position, which is accomplished by turning the fingers and disks half over upon the plate, by which greater tension is given to the said cords or springs. A slide or key with two pins, one above the arms and one below the arms, having a bent end, and passing through slots in the disk, serves to hold the arms and fingers in position until the turning of a leaf is desired, when the slide is withdrawn a little and permits one finger, in which a leaf is held, to fiyback and carry the leaf with it.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side of the device, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side view; Fig. 3, a perspective view. Fig. 4 shows a view of the clip.

A represents the frame'plate, which is perforated for attachment to the music frame or stand. B B are two uprights, in which are made inclined slots 0 O, and through which the lower sliding pin D passes. The disks E are grooved, and also provided with slots F on two sides, so that the lower pin 1), which has abent end, and is made a little longer than the upper pin, will operate against the fiat surface of the disks, and prevent more than one disk from flying forward or being turned back until wanted, or until the finger is carried forward, by releasing its spring to a near- 1y horizontal plane with the frame-plate. The upper pin D slides over the whole series of arms forward of the disks, and serves to keep the disks in position when turned back upon the frame-plate in connection with the lower pin, which is abanking-pin, andpasses through one series of slots in the disk when in the position. The arms H are attached to the disk, and are jointed at H and provided with fingers H H which extend from them, and are made double or in pairs for about one-quarter of their length, and this is an important feature of my invention, in order to prevent the leaves from following each other in quick succession by windage or suction of the air, which would otherwise ordinarily carry the succeeding leaf with the preceding one. The elastic cords or springs I I are connected to the disks near the point of attachment of the fingers, and pass around the disks in grooves to hold them in position and give motion to the disks whenrequired. The opposite ends of the cords are fastened to the end of the frame-plate in slots made for the purpose.

The operation is as follows: The disks are turned back on their axes N and secured by the pins, and the fingers are placed longitudinally with the frame. When the leaves are placed between the fingers, commencing with the lower one of the series, and when the turning of a leaf is desired, the key J is struck by the finger of the player, which releases one of the disks only, and this carries the finger and sheet of paper with it, turning the leaf over automatically, and so on until the entire piece is performed. In case of repeating the whole can be turned back to the former position without disarranging the the order of the leaves.

The clip consists of two sheets of metal, K, with their ends bent upward at right angles, by which a V-shaped opening is formed with inclined jaws a a, which act as a binder; and when the leaves are in position between the jaws they will spread apart, after the manner of an open book, by reason of the outward inclination and vertical position of the upper edges of the jaws, which would not be the case if rectangular or vertical jaws were employed. The pins b b are for the purpose of ready attachment or detachment to or from a frame or music-rack, and may be in the form of a hook, to enter eyes or holes in the rack. A spring, M, is placed between the leaves, and when the leaves are pressed together the jaws are opened to admit the sheets. A binder, E, serves to keep the leaves of the clip in position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The uprights B B of the frame provided with slots 0 G, in combination with the lower sliding pin D with bent end, and upper sliding pin D, as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

I V ANTHONY ROSENFIELD.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG,

Y J AS. T. FAHEY. 

